The recent Los Alamos Monitor coverage of the whistleblower lawsuit filed by Randy Foster, Scott Mills and Paige Early has been enlightening.
The termination of Foster from the police department was an unwelcome surprise for many that know him to be a superb police officer, and the reasoning behind it seemed inscrutable at the time.
The newspaper story helps to shed some light on the topic. While we only hear one side of the story in the Monitor coverage, and there is always two, one wonders how top administration officials in the county intend to defend their behavior.
A mentally disturbed police officer, who threatens to harm the public, is removed from the situation by top-notch police officers acting in the best interest of the public.
The disturbed police officer, who openly acknowledges his problem, sues the county and is then given a large financial settlement, while the police officers who proactively protected the public are harassed, humiliated and terminated.
It just doesn’t compute. Unless one considers the possibility that the reputations of top county officials must be protected, and the mishandling of their duties should never bear public scrutiny.
It is far too easy for those in power to manipulate the situation and muster the resources for their defense, while those that challenge them, struggle to simply be heard.
Our community is fortunate that those who should be heard, are served so well by our local newspaper.
Will Fox
Los Alamos